Chapter 19

Chapter 19: What If She Doesn't Come Back? The meal left the entire family unhappy. Chu Tang had nothing to say to them, so she finished eating early and went upstairs to her bedroom. It wasn't until she saw the gift box on the table that she remembered she still hadn't given Jiang Shixu his watch. Chu Tang dialed Jiang Shixu's number. "Hello, Brother Shixu, I mentioned before that I'd prepared a gift for you. I'll bring it over now—are you at the old residence right now?" "I'm here." "Alright, give me a moment then. I'll bring it over right away." ... Jingheyuan Villa. Gu Zechuan and Chen Wan walked through the door, and the housekeeper Aunt Zhang looked behind them. "Sir, didn't Miss Ruan come back with you?" Gu Zechuan: "She's not home?" Aunt Zhang was baffled. "Didn't Miss Ruan go out with you? She hasn't been home these past few days." Suddenly thinking of something, Gu Zechuan's heart tightened with panic, and he quickened his pace up the stairs. Second floor, Ruan Chutang's room. All the cosmetics and skincare products on the vanity were gone, and the little decorations in the room had disappeared too. He pulled open the wardrobe—there wasn't a single piece of clothing inside! Everything belonging to Ruan Chutang was gone. This room had been restored to how it looked before she moved in. Gu Zechuan's breathing grew increasingly rapid. He rushed to the top of the stairs and shouted down at the housekeeper Aunt Zhang: "When did Ruan Chutang move her things out?" Seeing his alarming expression, Aunt Zhang was somewhat frightened, and her voice weakened. "I... when I went to clean the next day, Miss Ruan's room was already empty. I thought you knew..." Gu Zechuan clenched his fists, his heart churning with irritation. He took out his phone and called Ruan Chutang, but only heard the busy tone of du-du-du. Ruan Chutang had blocked his number. He immediately called Su Qiuyi instead. Ruan Chutang didn't have many friends in Haicheng, and if he remembered correctly, Su Qiuyi was fairly close to her. Su Qiuyi was quite surprised to receive the call. "Ruan Chutang? She hasn't come to see me. I don't know where she's gone either." "I'll help you ask around." As she spoke, Su Qiuyi opened WeChat on her phone and sent a message to Ruan Chutang. However, the moment she sent it, she saw a red exclamation mark appear on the screen. Su Qiuyi froze for a moment. Ruan Chutang had blocked her. Why would that be? She'd never had any direct conflict with Ruan Chutang. Gu Zechuan's voice was anxious. "Well? Did you find out anything?" Su Qiuyi let out a sigh. "She blocked me too." Gu Zechuan: "..." Chen Wan had overheard most of the conversation nearby. She guessed that Ruan Chutang had packed up and left, and her heart was filled with joy. "Zechuan, did you and Ruan Chutang break up?" Gu Zechuan was stunned by the question. Break up? He hadn't thought about breaking up. That night when he said he never wanted to see her again, that was purely said in anger. Even when Ruan Chutang angrily blocked him, he hadn't thought of it as a breakup—he just figured she was throwing a tantrum and waiting for him to come coax her. But she had cleared out everything of hers. Was this really just a tantrum? Seeing Gu Zechuan's grim expression, Chen Wan affectionately took his arm. "Zechuan, since you two have broken up, let each other go in peace without disturbing one another. Let's go on a trip to clear our minds." By now, Gu Zechuan had snapped out of it, and his mood had shifted from the initial panic to anger. Fine. Just fine. Ruan Chutang had gotten bold, actually daring to pull a breakup on him. This time, he'd see how many days she could last. Ten days? Half a month? He was furious at her for leaving without a word, and he planned to ignore her for a while. He also wanted to make her know that without her, he could still live just as freely and happily. So, he curled his lips into a smile and replied, "Sure. Where do you want to travel? You pick the place." "Really?" Chen Wan was brimming with excitement. "I want to go to Xinjiang first. The scenery at Kanas is gorgeous this season." Kanas. Gu Zechuan's eyes flickered. Why did that place sound so familiar? Oh, he remembered—he'd heard Ruan Chutang mention it before. She'd said she wanted to go to Kanas for the National Day holiday. What had he said back then? With so many people during the National Day holiday, what fun was there in that? It was National Day now. Gu Zechuan instinctively wanted to refuse, but the thought of Ruan Chutang made him change his mind. "Alright then, let's go to Xinjiang." After watching TV with Chen Wan for a while, the restlessness in Gu Zechuan's heart still hadn't dissipated. "You just got out of the hospital. Rest well at home—I need to go out for something." Chen Wan was very understanding and didn't ask where he was going. Now that Ruan Chutang had just broken up with him, it was normal for him to feel unsettled for a while and need to vent his frustration. Chen Wan didn't want to pressure him too much. She smiled warmly and magnanimously. "Alright, go ahead. I'll wait for you at home." Once out the front door, Gu Zechuan called Jiang Yuzhou. "Zhouzi, come out for drinks. Get Lin Chenan and the others to come too." ... At a certain high-end club Gu Zechuan frequented. He pushed open the door to the private room, and his brothers were already waiting inside. Seeing him arrive, Lin Chenan smiled and came over to greet him. "Zechuan, why are you here alone? Didn't Chen Wan come with you?" Gu Zechuan gave him a strange look. "Why would she come with me?" "Uh..." That counter-question left Lin Chenan completely stumped. Before he could figure out how to answer, Gu Zechuan dropped another bombshell. "My girlfriend is Ruan Chutang. Why aren't you asking her?" Lin Chenan was stunned. "Come on, Zechuan. Ever since Chen Wan came back to the country, haven't you brought her along every time we go out? Why are you suddenly bringing up Ruan Chutang? Didn't you say she doesn't know how to have fun and is boring?" Gu Zechuan's expression turned subtle in an instant. He couldn't refute it. Jiang Yuzhou quickly tried to change the subject. "Zechuan, you haven't been coming out to hang these past few days. What have you been busy with lately?" Gu Zechuan walked over to the sofa, plopped himself down, and lit a cigarette. "Chen Wan was injured and hospitalized for a few days. I've been at the hospital keeping her company." Jiang Yuzhou's expression turned odd. "Brother Zechuan, didn't you just say Ruan Chutang is your girlfriend? If you've been at the hospital with Chen Wan the whole time, hasn't Ruan Chutang been making a fuss?" Gu Zechuan's face darkened. Ruan Chutang didn't just make a fuss—she wanted to break up with him! At the thought, Gu Zechuan took a drag of his cigarette. "She did make a fuss. She's threatening to break up with me." Uh... The men exchanged awkward glances. They seemed to have touched a sore spot. Lin Chenan let out a scoff. "Ruan Chutang would actually break up with you? She must know you're the best catch she could ever get, right? I'll bet you anything she'll come crawling back within ten days." "Right, right, right. Ruan Chutang loves you so much—we've all seen it for three years. She can't leave you. I bet eight days." "How could she bear to break up with you? She's just throwing a tantrum waiting for you to come coax her. I bet half a month—within half a month, Ruan Chutang will definitely come back crying and begging to get back together." Hearing them say this, Gu Zechuan's furrowed brow finally relaxed. He took a sip of his drink, his expression rather disdainful. "Coaxing her? Not happening." Just then, Jiang Yuzhou asked weakly, "Um... what if she doesn't come back?" That actually stumped Gu Zechuan. If Ruan Chutang didn't come back, what would he do? He'd never thought about that question.